Dennis Rodman and Michael Jordan have had an interesting relationship, going from heated rivals to championship teammates in the span of a few years.
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Jordan’s biggest foes in his early days in the NBA were the ‘Bad Boy Pistons’ led by Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, and, of course, Dennis Rodman.
The Bulls vs. Pistons rivalry was one of the best, if not the best, to watch at the time as the games were often very intense and very physical with Jordan and Rodman often at the center of it all.
Phil Jackson describes an ’88 fight between the Bulls & Pistons (Rick Mahorn vs. Doug Collins & Charles Oakley).
It doesn’t matter whether you loved/hated the Pistons/Bulls in the ’80s, the two teams WENT AT IT. And it was great.
January 16, 1988. pic.twitter.com/uI2NfanvJz
— NBA Cobwebs (@NBACobwebs) May 1, 2020
However, when Rodman joined the Bulls in 1995, Jordan had nothing but appreciation for him, not even caring about Rodman’s unique styles.
Michael Jordan Couldn’t Care Less About How Dennis Rodman Dressed Or Styled His Hair
Rodman was an eccentric player. Not in a bad way, of course not, but he definitely did have a sense of style that was completely different from other players.
Dennis Rodman had some ridiculous hair styles yo pic.twitter.com/JZhxG5CPbo
— Sport Sanity (@sport_sanity) September 8, 2017
The guys looked good but no one will ever top the NBA’s original king of fashion: Dennis Rodman! pic.twitter.com/zfA9b6WFZV
— SportsNation (@SportsNation) February 15, 2015
Jordan knew all this was irrelevant when it came to winning. After the 1997 season, fresh off his second championship (five for Jordan and the Bulls now), Rodman had more than showed his value to the team, being the high intensity rebounder and defender they needed to establish a formidable defensive rotation.
Jordan desparately wanted Rodman back on the team, and he shut down all the reports of disliking the two time DPOY’s sense of style.
“His dresses doesn’t bother me. His hair doesn’t bother me. Sure, I mean, he’s gonna go wacko every now and then. We’ve come to live with that. We’ve come to accept that. But you can’t find another player on the basketball court that works just as hard as Dennis Rodman.”
“Gives 110%, dives at loose balls even if he can’t get them. That’s Dennis Rodman. So I don’t have a problem with Dennis, and I don’t think Phil does. I don’t think Scottie does. We’ve been able to control him to some degree, and we’re here for champions back-to-back.”
Long lives the legend of Dennis Rodman, who even had the approval of the NBA GOAT.